Drier.



E. B. AYRES.

DRIER.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 15, 1913.

1 ,074,034, Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. B. AYRES.

DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.15, 1913.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Elvood, .23. Hyr.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

ELWOOD B. AYRES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE PHILA- DELPHIA TEXTILE MACHINERY COMPANY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

DRIER.

Specicationof Letters Patent.

l. Patented Sept.`23, 1913.

Application led January 15, 1913. Serial No. 742,223.

vcitizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Driers, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide means for continuously drying fish and other materials.

Heretofore, it has been the common practice to dry fish Without mechanicalcirculation, usually. in a room or other compartment. This method takes considerable time and the fish are not evenly dried.

By my invention the fish are dried within a drying com artment in which hot air is circulated an the trays can be pro erly loaded at one point, traversed throug the drier, and discharged at another point.

'In the accompanying drawings z-Figure 1, is a side view, partly in section, illustratingl my improved drier adapted for drying fis Fig. 2, is an end view, lookin in the direction of the arrow 2, Fig. 1; 1g. 3, is a plan view; Fig. 4,- is'a side View of one of carriers; Fig. 5, is a plan View of one o f the carriers; and Fig. 6, is an end view of one of the carriers with a portion of the conveying chain attached.

A is the casing forming a drying chamber. This casing is divided into two compartments by a vertical partition a `forming B. In the heating chamber is a series of lheating pipes b. These pipes can be artranged \in any suitable manner without departing from the essential features of the inventlon.

In theupper end ofv the artition a are openings a in/ which are ans C, one of which is shown in full lines, Fig. 1. These fans are mountedoh shafts C driven in any suitable manner. Near the bottom of the artition is a series of o enings at and the ans circulate the air t rough the drying and heating compartments.

, D is a conveyer consisting of two side chains d, d connected by bars d from-which are suspended carriers E, shown clearly in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. lThe conveyerchains pass around guide wheels f at each lower corner and around smaller guide wheels g in the upper portion of the vchamber B. Each loop o the conveyerpasses around a guide wheel which are detachably mounted on the framey of the carriers. The carrier consists of end plates e and a center suspension plate e; there are flanges at the lower edge of these plates, as shown in Fig. 3, and the trays E rest on these flanges.

In the present lnstance, I have shown two sets of trays on each carrier; the trays F, F being mounted on flanges e2 some distance above the lower flanges. Each of the trays is quadrangular in shape with wire gauze stretched across them, but they may be slatted or otherwise formed.I Openings are provided to allow the heated air to come reely in contact with the fish.

The trays are loaded, in the present instance, at the point a: and the conveyer trav-4 els through the drier in the direction indi- -cated by the arrows until it reaches the discharge point y, where the fish are removed from the drier.

In the top of the drying chamber ,B is an exhaust pipe I, in which is an exhaust fan z' driven as indicated in Fig. 2, so as to exhaust the moist air which accumulates in the top of the dryin chamber. Fresh air may be admitted to t e drying chamber at any point.- desired.

The shafts G, on which the sprocket wheels 'g are mounted, are adapted to bearings at each side of the machine and have bevel wheels a meshing with bevel wheels m on the longitudinal shafts M which are driven from the transverse shaft N through a worm and worm gearing, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and`3.

When it is desired to utilize the machine for smoking fish,y as well as drying them, then the caslng is extended and a lire box is built in the bottom, as indicated at A in the drawings, having one or more doors s, and the fans are disconnected so that the. only moving part is the conveyer; the smoke aris-` ing from the fire-will pass up through the casing, which isprovided, at its upper end, with a suitable stack P having a damper, so

as to regulate the passage of the smoke.

Thus the conveyer with the sh travels through the smoke, insuring an even smokf ing of all the fish.v

While the conveyer is especially adapted for drying fish, it may be used for drying other articles, where an even and thorough drying is desired. A

I claim 1. The combination in a drier2 of a casing divided by a longitudinal partition into two compartments; heating mechanism in'V onel compartment; an endless chain conveyer in the other compartment; guide wheels around which the chain passes, said guide wheels being so-arranged that the conveyer will form a series of vertically arranged loops;

run of the chain passes; and loops of the chain; with a series of carriers and carriers pivotally suspended from the chains of the\onveyer, said casing having a feeding opening and a dischargeopening.

2. The combination in a drier, of a casing divided by a longitudinal partitioninto two compartments; heating mechanismA 1n one compartment, the partition having openingsv at the upper and at the lower ends; a seriesv of fans in the upper openings whereby the heated air is circulated through both compartments; an endless conveyer in the drymgcompartlment consisting of two chainsconnected together and a series. of suspended trays,` the trays being pivotally connected lto the chains; a series of guide wheels at the upper end of the drying chambery around which thechains pass; guide wheels at each end of the chamber around which the lower suspended from the chain; and means for driving the sprocket wheels around which the upper run of the chain passes.

guides for. the

3. The combination in'a drier, of a casing divided into-two compartments by a 1ongitudinal partition; said-partition havin an Opening `at its upper and lower ends; ans

for circulating the' air in the two compartments; heating mechanism in one 'of said compartments and conveying mechanism in the other compartment, the conveying mechanism consisting of two chains connected together; carriers pivotallg;T suspended from the chains; guide wheels at the upper end of the casing for the chains; guide wheels at each end of the casingnear the lower end for the chains.; and guide wheels around which the looped portions of the chains pass; each alterf .nate guide wheel at the upper end being secured to a driving shaft; bevel wheels on the drivin each slde of the casing; sprocket wheels on the longitudinal shafts meshing with the sprocket wheels on the transverse shafts;

and a transverse drivingshaft geared to the longitudinal shaft,l whereby the conveyer chain 7isdriven.

4. The combination in a drier, of a casing an endless eonveyer therein; perforated carshaft; two longitudinal shafts at riers mountedon the'conveyer; means for cireul'ating heated air through the conveyer; and a fire box at the bottom of the casing open to the interior of the casing so that as e 

